Did you enjoy this video and find it to be informative? You can help ensure that more videos just like this get made by supporting the project on Patreon. www.patreon.com/currentlyrockhounding
Those new parts are starting to get expensive...I used to find them cheap at flea markets and other places. I'm looking at modifying my tile saw and making a polisher like yours except all metal. I have my own welder but for others that don't; there are hobby places that have the equipment and people that can show. Where I live there's not much Rockhounding but every farmer have welders and spare parts laying around to make something like that for nothing. You are right! Most people can't afford off the shelf items...there are ways around it cheap and safe. Thanks again for posting this for the community! 👍🍻
You are such a smart, good and honest person Jared. Everyone here should appreciate just how much you do to help us all, in every way you can. I appreciate everything you and Sarah do for the rockhounding community. Thanks for a great video and doing what you both do! Take care.✌🤠
I literally just bought some carpet for a new addition to my rock shop - an old vibratory flat lap! I'll show Jim this video - he may enjoy making a DIY polisher.
As a DIY'er myself I love the simplicity of this. I am thinking with the proper shaft and surface plate and oriented on a horizontal plane this could make a great flat lap machine. With the obvious modifications such as a water supply, pump and drain pan etc. Seems like a good winter project.
I've just started polishing with diamond pads on an angle grinder. Watching this video gave me the idea to attach velcro to carpet to use on the pad holder.
Loved the intro! I use cerium oxide on a nice, soft piece of Italian leather. Put stone on dop stick and rub. Doesn't take long at all. Carpet wheel is great. Definitely need one for bigger rocks.
I liked it the when you first showed it to us. I love the idea of more DIY in the land of rocks. Thanks for sharing and thank you Frank for doing it for him. The drawings look great. Keep the fun coming. Be happy, safe and stay healthy 😷⚒
Hi Jarod, another very interesting video with your explanation of the polisher being quite easy to understand. I like not only the concept but the way you have made it from easy to obtain components. Thanks. Keep Safe & Keep Rockin
I have been thinking about building one since I saw it the first time in one of your videos , I was racking my brain how to get the carpet on and you answered all of my question ... Your videos are always amazing .
First thanks for posting and sharing! Much appreciated~👍IMO you really did a super job with this homebuild buffer! Kudos sir~ Now onto the things I noticed right away, I love splash guard, really great addition to the buffing wheel and think I'll be modifying my unit in the near future to add such a great feature thx. I also like the concept of the shortened tabletop footprint of your design (looks about 10" shorter in overall length) but that concerns me a bit as I really like the slow buffer as it generates virtually no heat when buffing on the leather wheel and fewer "grabbed" pieces....Would assume that due to the short distance between the motor pulley and the large pulley it appears that your buffer may be spinning faster than the slow buffer I use? (18" distance between pulley centers 12" and 1" pulleys with motor at 1725 = 143.8RPM) It appeared you used a 12" wheel pulley and 1" motor pulley the same as me. Question...what is the distance between pulley centers on your unit and are you using a 1725RPM motor? On a bummer note, I'm going to have to get a new driveshaft manufactured for the 18" Royal...there's a 1/2" long flat spot in the threads right at the key spot on the shaft that running through a die won't correct...ugh!!! 🤦♂So when it warms up in March will tear it apart again to rebuild once more. Doh~ Ultimately, I may end up swapping the 3/4hp motor on the Royal during rebuild with the 1hp motor on the bullwheel to see if there's any difference. Thanks again for your efforts my friend, hope you have a great rest of your week~
I also like the reduced foot print of this machine. This machine is running on a 1450 rpm motor with a 2" and 12.25" pulley which give a finished wheel speed of 236rpm. If I drop it down to a 1" pulley I will reduce the wheel down to a very slow 118rpm. I really didn't see much benefit by reducing the speed slower than 236. As far as distance between pulleys it doesn't have any effect on the ratio. Go check out the plans on the website. Bummer about the Royal.
@@CurrentlyRockhounding How about a slab saw or just an aperture that might help you slab cleanly on a tile saw? I'm not sure about everyone else, but I have terrible dexterity and so getting several good slabs in one sitting can be a nightmare. A home made rock tumbler could also be a good project, since tumblers can get expensive if you want to have several batches running at the same time. I believe Michigan Rocks made his own Tumbler Cabinet, but I'm not sure if he put out any blueprints for it. I'm pretty new to Lapidary, and so I might not know the most useful machines to suggest. But I hope that my perspective helps
I watched a video... someone was using a polisher/sander as a flat lap, on their lap... tilting it as needed. Thought that was a pretty interesting & inexpensive idea.
that was cool! wish i had the skills to do things like this, that is a beautiful rock you did, my adopted grand pa built my grand ma`s machines for her back in the early 70s right after they got a place where my grand ma could have a shop,,, your right about those old timey machines that had the fancy brass pieces and designs to bad things arent built like that any more
I would really love to get back to a point where we can just make the things we desire. Go check out the blueprints, its a really easy build that anyone can tackle.
Most big cities now have do it yourself places that have anything you need and people to show you. Rual farmland many have about all you need to make this . Winter is the best time to ask for help. Cheers
Working on a similar project but ran into a hiccup. The carpet was so old that it each of the tension points has torn. Do you have an suggestions on where to find or buy carpet remnants? Enjoying your videos. Keep up the great work!!!
I’ve built something similar and I’m currently looking for carpet, does the type of carpet you use matter? Would you want a soft, fine thread or something a little more coarse? Appreciate any advice!
That's a good question. This is some thin but course outdoor carpet that I'm using. I think the biggest thing is that it can kind of hold on to the polish some which I think most carpets can do just fine.
Dang, that looks super awesome! You are quite crafty. Looks pretty straightforward, even the electrical. Curious, how much you spent in supplies, not including the cerium oxide power, roughly? And, looks like it worked great. Thanks for sharing. You make great points in your discussion. Always so informative 😁👍
That's a hard one since prices seem to be going up by the day and I some of the stuff already on hand like the wood. On the website there's a materials list so you can price it out.
Please please build an oil saw! I'm in the middle of setting up a small lapidary business. Oil cells are way too expensive for my blood. But I need one badly LOL
I would love to weld up a big saw for myself. Personally I think its hard to beat the value you get out of a modern slab saw and it bought retail. If I was setting up a lapidary business I likely pinch pennies else where I think and buy a new slab saw since its likely to be the work horse of a business like that. At least that's what I'm thinking but I guess it really depends on what you're doing.
Quick questions: Are the pillow blocks *both* supposed to come with set screws? I noticed you have an additional block under your pillow block supports that isn't in the plans...Is that just a height adjustment. I'm about 75% there (waiting on metal disc)...Just at the point of working out the placement of the different parts on the main board before I figure out what size belt to order.
The pillow block bearings should have came with set screws. The bearings are just supported by the wood shown both here and in the plans. I would love to see some photos of what you build and ad them to the website if you don't mind sending a few photos.
@CurrentlyRockhounding Will do! One of the pillow blocks came with 2 set screws, but the one came with none. I thought it was odd, but wasn't sure if there was a reason I didn't know about.
It's perfect. I just hope you are using stain resistant carpet. LOL just kidding. I have upcoming stuff im going to literally build out of junk ill share when I get around to it.
@@CurrentlyRockhounding a couple saws. I've built them in the past. Should've kept them lol. I'll say something when I get around to it. I'm already a slabbing addict gotta get one going.
I would suggest people go and look at the Richardson’s polisher. Their open design is better for a number of reasons. Enclosing the wheel like you have greatly limits it’s usefulness compared their design.
That's a bold statement. I assume you own the Richardson's polisher, so lets here this list reasons please. Also I would like to hear exactly how containing the spray "greatly limits it’s usefulness".
![Megan Thee Stallion - Roc Steady (feat. Flo Milli) [Official Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/HozPPyqW0dY/mqdefault.jpg)
Did you enjoy this video and find it to be informative? You can help ensure that more videos just like this get made by supporting the project on Patreon. www.patreon.com/currentlyrockhounding
Thank you for making the prints available. Yaller good people
If you build one, I would love to get a photo of it, so I can add it to the gallery of machines people have built using these plans.
My husband says he would like if you did a whole series of builds! Thank you for that empowerment to DIY lapidary equipment!
I'm thinking about it. Likely a tumbler.
Fantastic idea 👍👍 I'm 65 years old been a tinker all my life. And I'm just starting a lapidary shop. So you have been a great help. Thanks.
Those new parts are starting to get expensive...I used to find them cheap at flea markets and other places.
I'm looking at modifying my tile saw and making a polisher like yours except all metal. I have my own welder but for others that don't; there are hobby places that have the equipment and people that can show. Where I live there's not much Rockhounding but every farmer have welders and spare parts laying around to make something like that for nothing.
You are right! Most people can't afford off the shelf items...there are ways around it cheap and safe. Thanks again for posting this for the community! 👍🍻
You are such a smart, good and honest person Jared. Everyone here should appreciate just how much you do to help us all, in every way you can. I appreciate everything you and Sarah do for the rockhounding community. Thanks for a great video and doing what you both do! Take care.✌🤠
I'm not sure if those things are true but I do think I'm helpful! :)
I literally just bought some carpet for a new addition to my rock shop - an old vibratory flat lap! I'll show Jim this video - he may enjoy making a DIY polisher.
I think you would love to have this machine. Let me know if I can help in any way.
I really appreciate you helping us all to be able to affordibly build cool equipment! Thank you Jared!
If this is well received ill work on some other things as well.
As a DIY'er myself I love the simplicity of this.
I am thinking with the proper shaft and surface plate and oriented on a horizontal plane this could make a great flat lap machine.
With the obvious modifications such as a water supply, pump and drain pan etc.
Seems like a good winter project.
I've just started polishing with diamond pads on an angle grinder. Watching this video gave me the idea to attach velcro to carpet to use on the pad holder.
You can for sure do that!
Loved the intro! I use cerium oxide on a nice, soft piece of Italian leather. Put stone on dop stick and rub. Doesn't take long at all. Carpet wheel is great. Definitely need one for bigger rocks.
The bigger rocks has been my problem. If I cut something that is 6"-8" and I want to polish it flat, well doing that can been a challenge.
This is exactly what I have to do right now. Been looking for a polisher so I can do this. Thanks it’s like you read my mind.
If you make something off these plans would you please send me a few photos of what you build so I can share them?
@@CurrentlyRockhounding Yes I will, I find these are hard to find to purchase so building one is most likely the best option.
Sweet piece homemade equipment!
Thank you!
Excellent video. Great plan. Thanks for sharing
I'm glad you liked it.
I liked it the when you first showed it to us. I love the idea of more DIY in the land of rocks. Thanks for sharing and thank you Frank for doing it for him. The drawings look great. Keep the fun coming. Be happy, safe and stay healthy 😷⚒
Thanks very much for the plans! Just so you know in the blue prints it calls for a smooth rod.
Both work fine but a keyed one is better.
Gotta love the DIY! Nice work Jared!
Now for the next build, a waterjet? LOL
Awesome
Oh man, I would love a waterjet!!!
A large silicone O ring would be a good alternative to the spring, they are very elastic.
First, sorry cannot watch right now, heading across town for an appointment but will catch up with it when I get back...really love the splash guard~~
I'm looking forward to hear your thoughts on it.
Thanks Jared for sharing your experience and knowledge.
Thank you for being supportive and coming to watch! :)
@@CurrentlyRockhounding I absolutely appreciate your channel.
I learned so much about basalt and quartz that I didn't know.
Hi Jarod, another very interesting video with your explanation of the polisher being quite easy to understand. I like not only the concept but the way you have made it from easy to obtain components. Thanks. Keep Safe & Keep Rockin
Nice buffer/polishing wheel. Thanks, I love homemade!
It really is a good machine.
Another great show! Maybe have another wheel with some thick long shag carpet from the 70's for a buffing wheel.
I just finished my angled flat lap, very easy and fun. Nice design wheel
I would love to see what you made if you want to email me some photos.
@@CurrentlyRockhounding Yes I would, get to it today
Thanks for the DIY content. Awesome work!
I have been thinking about building one since I saw it the first time in one of your videos , I was racking my brain how to get the carpet on and you answered all of my question ... Your videos are always amazing .
I think you would be well served if you built a buffer.
Love it! Definitely making one of these
If you build one, please send photos of your machine, so I can include them on the website.
Awesome project! I was surprised at how quiet it is. Nice polish too!
Thank you, I'm pleased with how it turned out.
Crafty! That buff was really glassy.
Thank you.
Love this! You're very resourceful, Jared. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you and enjoy!
First thanks for posting and sharing! Much appreciated~👍IMO you really did a super job with this homebuild buffer! Kudos sir~ Now onto the things I noticed right away, I love splash guard, really great addition to the buffing wheel and think I'll be modifying my unit in the near future to add such a great feature thx. I also like the concept of the shortened tabletop footprint of your design (looks about 10" shorter in overall length) but that concerns me a bit as I really like the slow buffer as it generates virtually no heat when buffing on the leather wheel and fewer "grabbed" pieces....Would assume that due to the short distance between the motor pulley and the large pulley it appears that your buffer may be spinning faster than the slow buffer I use? (18" distance between pulley centers 12" and 1" pulleys with motor at 1725 = 143.8RPM) It appeared you used a 12" wheel pulley and 1" motor pulley the same as me. Question...what is the distance between pulley centers on your unit and are you using a 1725RPM motor? On a bummer note, I'm going to have to get a new driveshaft manufactured for the 18" Royal...there's a 1/2" long flat spot in the threads right at the key spot on the shaft that running through a die won't correct...ugh!!! 🤦♂So when it warms up in March will tear it apart again to rebuild once more. Doh~ Ultimately, I may end up swapping the 3/4hp motor on the Royal during rebuild with the 1hp motor on the bullwheel to see if there's any difference. Thanks again for your efforts my friend, hope you have a great rest of your week~
I also like the reduced foot print of this machine.
This machine is running on a 1450 rpm motor with a 2" and 12.25" pulley which give a finished wheel speed of 236rpm. If I drop it down to a 1" pulley I will reduce the wheel down to a very slow 118rpm.
I really didn't see much benefit by reducing the speed slower than 236.
As far as distance between pulleys it doesn't have any effect on the ratio. Go check out the plans on the website.
Bummer about the Royal.
This was a very inspirational. I love trying to figure out alternative ways of doing things. I run my 6" lapidary disc's on my porter cable grinder.
Thank you!
Thanks much for sharing with us 😊
I'm glad you liked it.
Awesome video as always, I love the cerium for polishing, because it’s so easy to work with and the results are stunning. Great design on the wheel!
Thank you!
Man I really hope you do some more amazing stuff like this, keep up the great work
I've been thinking a lot about what should be next, do you have any suggestions?
@@CurrentlyRockhounding How about a slab saw or just an aperture that might help you slab cleanly on a tile saw? I'm not sure about everyone else, but I have terrible dexterity and so getting several good slabs in one sitting can be a nightmare.
A home made rock tumbler could also be a good project, since tumblers can get expensive if you want to have several batches running at the same time. I believe Michigan Rocks made his own Tumbler Cabinet, but I'm not sure if he put out any blueprints for it.
I'm pretty new to Lapidary, and so I might not know the most useful machines to suggest. But I hope that my perspective helps
@@NeedethNot Both of those are great ideas.
You should be proud of that thing, love it!
I think it came out rather well.
Awesome little machine, good job man, thanks for sharing!
I watched a video... someone was using a polisher/sander as a flat lap, on their lap... tilting it as needed. Thought that was a pretty interesting & inexpensive idea.
that was cool! wish i had the skills to do things like this, that is a beautiful rock you did, my adopted grand pa built my grand ma`s machines for her back in the early 70s right after they got a place where my grand ma could have a shop,,, your right about those old timey machines that had the fancy brass pieces and designs to bad things arent built like that any more
I would really love to get back to a point where we can just make the things we desire.
Go check out the blueprints, its a really easy build that anyone can tackle.
Most big cities now have do it yourself places that have anything you need and people to show you. Rual farmland many have about all you need to make this . Winter is the best time to ask for help. Cheers
Love that you build and share! Open source is great. Thanks 👍
Thank you.
Great video. I will copy-cat yours and build my own soon. Thanks for producing this.
I would love it if you would take a few photos of it for me to share when you're done with it.
@@CurrentlyRockhounding will do. You have a great channel.
Outstanding content!
Thank you.
Great Video as always :)
Thank you.
Very cool equipment love it thank you for sharing 😊💙
Thank you!
Great tool
Thank you.
Working on a similar project but ran into a hiccup. The carpet was so old that it each of the tension points has torn. Do you have an suggestions on where to find or buy carpet remnants?
Enjoying your videos. Keep up the great work!!!
I don't have any advice on that, I will say that this carpet I bought new off the roll at Home Depot and it was pretty cheap at the time.
@@CurrentlyRockhounding What is the smallest quantity the would sell you or did you actually buy a roll of carpet? Thanks!
Thanks, being on social security makes it difficult to have equipment. More maker plans and ideas will be much appreciated!
What machine would you like to see next? I have been thinking about making a tumbler.
@@CurrentlyRockhounding Vibratory tumbler
Thank you Jared! This is something I can do. And as a single woman that is a big deal. I would like to find the blue print for a mini pixie.
I'm glad you like it! If you make something based on my plans would you please send me a few photos?
I’ve built something similar and I’m currently looking for carpet, does the type of carpet you use matter? Would you want a soft, fine thread or something a little more coarse? Appreciate any advice!
That's a good question. This is some thin but course outdoor carpet that I'm using.
I think the biggest thing is that it can kind of hold on to the polish some which I think most carpets can do just fine.
Yes I would, please. Plan to order parts the net few months. 60ty year'es young women in Dayton NV
Its a great finish polisher!
I made one with parts from a furnace blower. I got the idea from your video. Thanks Don't know how to put pics on here or I would show it to you.
I have an email address you could mail them to. currentlyrockhounding@gmail.com I would love to see what you made and share it.
Dang, that looks super awesome! You are quite crafty. Looks pretty straightforward, even the electrical. Curious, how much you spent in supplies, not including the cerium oxide power, roughly? And, looks like it worked great. Thanks for sharing. You make great points in your discussion. Always so informative 😁👍
That's a hard one since prices seem to be going up by the day and I some of the stuff already on hand like the wood.
On the website there's a materials list so you can price it out.
@@CurrentlyRockhounding ok, fair enough. 👍
Thanks!
Dude! Thank you so much for supporting my work here.
Currently working on a 10” lap wheel. More like an accessory driven by a small wood lathe. Gotta use what you have😂
So the key stock goes in at the motor, wheel, both pillow bearings, and the end with the steel plate? Right?
In your video it's hard to see exactly whats going on during disassembly in the areas where there might be key stock involved.
The key stock goes in both the drive pulley and the back of the disc. Have you looked at the pdf plans on my website for it?
Please please build an oil saw! I'm in the middle of setting up a small lapidary business. Oil cells are way too expensive for my blood. But I need one badly LOL
I would love to weld up a big saw for myself. Personally I think its hard to beat the value you get out of a modern slab saw and it bought retail.
If I was setting up a lapidary business I likely pinch pennies else where I think and buy a new slab saw since its likely to be the work horse of a business like that. At least that's what I'm thinking but I guess it really depends on what you're doing.
Quick questions: Are the pillow blocks *both* supposed to come with set screws? I noticed you have an additional block under your pillow block supports that isn't in the plans...Is that just a height adjustment.
I'm about 75% there (waiting on metal disc)...Just at the point of working out the placement of the different parts on the main board before I figure out what size belt to order.
The pillow block bearings should have came with set screws.
The bearings are just supported by the wood shown both here and in the plans.
I would love to see some photos of what you build and ad them to the website if you don't mind sending a few photos.
@CurrentlyRockhounding Will do!
One of the pillow blocks came with 2 set screws, but the one came with none. I thought it was odd, but wasn't sure if there was a reason I didn't know about.
OK I know a million questions! About how long would you say the finished length of rod is on your machine?
It depends on how you want to design the machine. People have different space requirements. If you get 12" you can cut it to fit what you build.
To everything turn turn turn
There is a season turn turn turn
(1965 The Byrds)
I am in the Toronto area and having a terrible time trying to get lap . equipment or suplies
I have heard similar things from other people in Canada as well.
You really do leave us with no excuse.
Time to start building!!!
@@CurrentlyRockhounding I had about half the components sitting around. Ordered the others a few minutes ago.
@@ocklawahaboyrocks Let me know if I can help at all.
where do you get your cerium oxide ??
I buy mine on amazon and since making this video I have also switched to optical cerium oxide.
I bought a homemade buffer from a friend and never could get it to shine cabs, it ran directly off the motor shaft and I think it turned way to fast
Perhaps that could be the issue.
It's perfect. I just hope you are using stain resistant carpet. LOL just kidding. I have upcoming stuff im going to literally build out of junk ill share when I get around to it.
Haha I just wish my carpet had a cool 70's pattern on it.
What do you have in store for builds?
@@CurrentlyRockhounding a couple saws. I've built them in the past. Should've kept them lol. I'll say something when I get around to it. I'm already a slabbing addict gotta get one going.
At first that is. Need grinders, too. I used to find used stuff cheap and flip it but it's hard to come across like I used to.
Hey brother, do you think that I could use a blender and modify it to create a flat lap?
I don't about that one, generally those motors are highspeed and low torque which isn't really what you want out of a lapidary machine.
I would suggest people go and look at the Richardson’s polisher. Their open design is better for a number of reasons. Enclosing the wheel like you have greatly limits it’s usefulness compared their design.
That's a bold statement. I assume you own the Richardson's polisher, so lets here this list reasons please. Also I would like to hear exactly how containing the spray "greatly limits it’s usefulness".
👁👁 🍷